Incinerator



Feb. 12 192%., ',483,57l

G. 1 CAMPBELL INCINERATOR Filed Dec. l5 1919 3 Sheets-Sheet l i rg IN VEN TOR.

QO/Ij Campbell .L IURNEY.

Feb 1,2 1924io 1,483,571

G. L. CAMPBELL INCINERATOR Filed Deo. 15, 1919 3 sheets-#sheet a l INVENVTOR. Geojge mlobel A' "Y E. ATTORNEY.

Feb. 12 19224. M8357@ G. L. CAMPBELL INGINERATOH Filed Dec. l5, 1919 Sheets-Sheet 3 JNVENTOR.

eofiye, Campbell,

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Patented Feb. 12, 1924'. i 4

g l 1,483,571 PATENT OFFICE..

GEORGE L. CAMPBELL'OF PHILADELPHIA,PENNSYLVANIA.

INCINEBATOR.

Application led December 15, 1919. Serial No. 344,794.

T 0 all whom-it may concern.' l

Be it known that I, GEORGE L. GAMrBnLL, a citizen of the United States, residing at Philadelphia, in the county of Philadelphiaand State of Pennsylvania., have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Incinerators, of which the following is a specification.

A My invention relates to incinerators or retorts for the reduction of refuse such as garbage, sweeping and wasteJ matter,v and more particularly to a structure capable of embodiment in small compact units suitable for installation in residences or laboratories where garbage and refuse is accumulated only periodically and in comparatively small quantities, and in doctors oflices, operating rooms and analogous situations for the disposal of soiled bandages and dressings, infeeted clothing, and other' waste matter of dangerous or offensive character.

While for illustrative purposes a small unit has been herein shown and described,

.f it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the size or proportions shown, but may be embodied in units of larger size suitable for installation in restaurants, hotels or large institutions, or which with suitable modification may be adapted for community use. y

The object of the invention is to simplify the structure as well as the means and AInode of operation of incinera'.tors of this character. whereby they will not only be cheap"- eued in construction, but will be more efficient in use, positive in operation, automatic in action, easily controlled, and unlikely to get out of repair.

A further object of the invention is to provide in such a device of combustion chax'ubcr and incinerating means whereby an extremely high temperature may be quickly attained in the reduction of greener wet garbage and refuse, without unduly increasing the .temperature of the room or the atmosphere in the vicinity of the iucincrator.

further object of the invention is to provide a retort or combustion chamber which will afford a widel combustion area, and within which the. settling of the material as the moisture and volatile gases are` expelled will tend to condense the mass of material maintaining a substantial uniform density at the point of combustion and to further provide means whereby the `mass will not be permitted to become packed or to clog the retort to such extent as to retard combustion.

A further object of the invention is to provide an improved form of grate or grid for the retort afordlng an increased area.

of combustion. a. portion of whichwill be substantially vertically disposed thereby insuring rapidity of action and uniformity andfthoroughncss of combustion, and which will coact with the walls of the retort/to concentrate the combustible materials.

A furtherobject of the invention is to provide improved draft means and an arrangement of batlies whereby the gases and other volatile products of combustion will be consumed to a maximum degree within the retort thereby destroying or neutralizing all odors.

f A further object of the invention is to provide an improved form of gas blast so associated with the peculiarly formed grid or grate as to effect the highest degree of combustion in the shortest possible time.

lVith the above primary and other incidental objects in view as will more fully appear in the specification, the invention consists of the features of construction, the parts and combinations thereof and the mode of operation or' their equivalents, as hereinafter described and set forth in the claims.

YReferring to the drawings, Fig. 1` is"v a front elevation of an incinerator embodying the present invention. Fig. 2 is a plan thereof from which the cover section has been removed. Fig. 3 is a. central vertical sectional y view on lines 3-3 of Fig. 1. Fig. 4 is a similar sectional view but at right langles to that of Fig. 3 on lines 4 4 of Fig. 3. Fig. 5 is a sectional plan view on line 5-5 of Fig. 3. Fig. 6 is a transverse sectional view looking upward from line 6 6 of Fig. 3.

Like parts are indicated by similar characters of reference throughout the several views.

This invention is designed as a safeguard for health and an aid to sanitation in the home b v providing means for instant disposal of kitchen waste, floor sweepings and other refuse. The device is designed to be installed in the kitchen or basement with the rent of the incinerator connected with the chimney or flue of the building.' It is designed to receive at once any portion of garbage or waste materials. It is not intended to be maintained in constant operation, but serves' as a collector for such ,tra

, burners are lighted, and the green -or wet garbage is quickly dried and consumed.

In constructing the device there is employed a main housing 10 preferably thou h not necessarily of rectangular form whic may b e ornamented in any suitable manner. This main housing or container 10 is shown supported upon legs'or standards 31 and at the top is provided with a removable closure which for convenience has been formed in two separable sections 33 and 37. The section 37 is lifted by means of a handle 40 for the deposit of garbage or refuse without the necessity of removing the entire cover. The primary section 33 rests upon the top edges of the walls of the main housing 10, and is removable therefrom to afford access to the interior of the housingI for replacement or repair of parts. The lower portion of the main housing is provided with an opening 13 closed by suitable door 14 affording access to the lowerlportion of the housing for the insertion and removalof the ash receiver 32. Immediately above the door 14 the housing is provided with an air regulating damper, such. as commonly used upon stoves comprising a, reciprocatory plate 23, slidingly mounted in guide *flanges 22 of a second plate 21. The slide 23 has apertures 24 brought into and out of register with like apertures 25 in the stationary plate 21 by the movement of said slide. It is obvious that an other form of air regulating damper may e emplo ed. At its rear, the housing 10 is provide with a flue opening 41 to be connected with a chimney in the usual manner. The construction of the main houslng 10 as thus far described comprises unessential details which may be varied to conform to different conditions of use or convenience of manufacture.

The interior of the front and rear walls 11 and 12 of the housing 10 are provided with transverse supporting flanges or ledges 44 and 43 respectively. The flange 44 is positioned somewhat above the level of the supporting ledge or ilange 43. Suspended upon the ledges or anges 43 and 44 is a skeleton supporting frame for the crucible or combustion chamber. This supporting frame comprises a top plate 48 having anges 45 and 46 engaging the supporting ledges 43 and 44 respectively and further provided beneath such supporting flanges with transverse inverted angle {ianges 58 and 67. Connected to the upper structure thus'described by means of downwardly extending angle bars or struts 62 at the corners of the structure is a lower flanged frame comprising transversely arranged seats or ledges having upturned marginal flanges 61, interconnected at their ends by like shelving seats 72 and by dependent arcuate tie bars 73. This construction affords a skeleton frame which is suspended wholly from the top and is-thus free to expand and contract in anydirection without being subjected to breaking strains.

The retort or crucible in which the matter isreduced comprises a tapered combustion chamber formed by mounting in' the skeleton frame. or supporting ,structure before described, refractory side walls of heat resistant material, preferably, though not necessarily formed of fire clay or some similar product.,` The crucible or retort comprisesl a forward inclined wall section 59 of fire clay or analogous material seated at its low er end in the rabbet formed in the flanged base frame of the skeleton structure or basket as' at 71 with its upper edge engaging in the rabbet formed by the downturned flange 58, while the rear wall of the crucible or retort comprises a rearwardly inclined section of like material 68 seated in the anged bottom frame 70 Aand engaging at its upper end in the angle formed by the downturned ange 67. These wall sections 59 and 68 as shown in Fig., 3 are upwardly divergent or inclined outwardly whereby the retort or combustion chamber is somewhat contracted at its bottom. The terminal wall sections 64 of the retort are supported at their lower ends upon the transverse portions 72 ofthe lower. angle frame and extend upward into overlapping relation with the sides of the top frame 48.

As clearly shown in the drawings the side walls of the retortA or crucible are corrugated or channelled vertically. These channels or corrugations are comparatively deep and serve as a multitude of miniature lues for the passage of hot air and products of combustion during the incineratin operation. The projecting ridges interme iate which the Hue grooves are formed serve as guards to keep the mass of material spaced away from the walls and prevent the mass from becoming so compacted within the chamber as to arrest the draft and interfere with pro er combustion.

e Hue grooves or channels are preferably com aratively narrow and of considerable num er in preference to grooves of wider extent, since there is not the tendency for the garbage and other refuse to enter and clog the narrow channels as would be the case if these channels were few 1n number and of considerable extent. The Width of the channels may depend somewhat upon the character of the material to be Consumed. It is obvious that fine wet garbage would have a greater tendency to clog the grooves or channels than would coarse dry material such as bandages, soiled dressings or infected clothing. Hence the invention is not to be limited to the particular width or number of the grooves or channels, both of which may be varied according to the conditions of use.

The converging front and rear walls of the Crucible or retort tend to maintain a proper degree of density of the materials as they settle within the combustion chamber. The converging or tapered walls of the retort thus compensate for the shrinkage of the mass due to the elimination of moisture and volatile gases in the initial stage of operation, and for the consumption of the processed materials in the final stages. At the bottom of the retort or Crucible there is'provided for the supportof the mass a grate or grid embodying longitudinal marginal bars 74 which rest upon the'ledges or supports at the bottom of the skeleton retort carrying structure and transverse upturned arcuate bars 75 connecting the marginal bars 74. The transverse bars 75 form a series of vertical bights spaced one from the other the sides of the bights being substantially vertical or at least divergently disposed in relation with the inclined side walls 59 and 68 of the retort. This forms at each side of the upstanding grate bars, a hopper-like or convergent space within which the lower material is pressed by the weight of the material above. The peculiar shape of these arched grate bars afford a wide combustion surface which includes two parallel substantially vertical surfaces or walls of refuse which are subjected to the blast. The tendency of fire to ascend is facilitated 1by these verticallyy arranged combustion surfaces so that the rate of reduction or combustion is materially increased. The retort er Crucible thus described being suspended within the housing 10 wholly from its top upon the ledges 43 and 44 is free to expand and contract without restraint. This will be Clear from an `examination of Figs. 3 and 4 which also wardly projecting jets or blast nozzels 78. These blast nozzles project .toward each other and direct jets of flame inward andupward against the portion of the mass resting upon the grate bars or grids 75 and particularly upon the vertical surfaces of such mass. In the drawing the inner ends of these jets or blast nozzles are beveled upwardly or inwardly at 79. There are two series of these nozzles which are supplied from a gas supply line 81` each series being controlled by a regulating valve 80. These jet burners may be supported in any suitable manner for instance as shown in Fig. 4 by the supply pipe Connection at one end and by means of a screw 87 extending thru the side wall of the housing and engaging the opposite end of the burner. For convenience of operation a pilot-burner 84 is provided beneath one of the jet burners. stant operation. Being of comparatively small size and having small vgas orifices This burner 84.may be left in Con- 85 this pilot burner will consume little fuel. It enables the jets or blast burners to be instantly set in operation merely by the opening 'of the control valves 80. The jets of' flame or gas blasts from .the respective series of inturned nozzles 78 meet centrally beneath the upturned grate bars and generate an intense incinerating heat. At its top the retort or Crucible is provided with a hinged closure independent of the lids or covers 33 and 37 of the housing. This hinged Closure for the retort also comprises a bafiie which serves to confine and direct the product of combustion in such manner that all combustible gases are consumed and odors destroyed. This Closure bafiie comprises two integrally united divergently arranged plates 50 .and 55 jointed one to the other at their forward ends as' at 56. The lowermost plate 55 extends downwardly and rearwardly while the upper plate 5() is shown in Fig. 3 as extending slightly upwardly and rearwardly. The intervening space 53'between the rear edges of these plates is in registry with the flue opening 41. The upper plate 50 is substantially in alinement with the frame plate 48 of the skeleton frame for the Crucible. The side walls of the closure are formed with orifices 54 which serve to lighten this closure and permits the retort to be more easily opened. The closure baffle is hinged to the frame plate 48 by means of lugs 49 and upon removal of the lid 37 the retort is opened by swinging the closure baffie upwardly and forwardly for which purpose a lifting ring 88 has been provided. In the lower inclined plate or bafiie of the closure adjacent to its forward edge and removed from the fiue opening 41 is a vent opening 57 for the products of combustion.

vDuring the process of incineration, the apj thence thru the interior of the closure baffle between the plates and 55 to the flue vent 41. The inclined position of the lower plate 55 of this closure baffle tends to direct such products of combustion toward the outlet opening 57. In order that any odors developed during the rocess of incineration or products Ofcom. ustion may not ese cape thru the top of the housing, the baile closure of Hthe retort ismade of such length that there is formed at the rear thereof, a

transverse opening 52 forming a means of,

communication between the space beneath the lid 37 and the line opening 41. The draft generated in the chimney tends to draw thru such opening 52 and thence thru the lue opening 41 all odors and gases which may escape to the spacev above the closure bale 50.

The suspended skeleton formation of the retort support obviates the possibility of the structure warping or cracking under the influence of the intense heat developed. The refractory side walls of the retort are so positioned vand supported within such skeleton framework as to be easily and readily accessible for examination and replacement in the event of breakage.

The particular arrangement of the arched grate or grid together with the two series of` inward projecting jets or blast nozzles whereby the flames from such nozzles meet below such arch, tends to confine the heat to the mass of material operated upon and reduces the loss of heat units to a minimum. Furthermore, theexposure of vertical surfaces of the mass to the action of, the jets of flame which arew equally distributed, very materially increases the rapidity and thoroughness of the combustion. y the arrangement shown it has been possible to develop an intense heat of very high degree which is distributed thru the mass ofA material by means of the corrugations of the side walls and the reflecting action of the inclined closure. baffles, thereby progressively preparing the mass of material for incineration. After the mass has been thoroughly dried or desiccated and is in a process of combustion, the fuel supply may be .shut off and by generous admission of a1r, the contents of the retort will continue to burn, until only a iine light ash remains. I i

From the above description it will be apparent that there is thus provided a device of the character described possessing the particular features of advantage before enumerated as desirable, but whlch obviously is susceptible of modification in its form, proportions, detail construction and arrangement of parts Without departing from the principle involved or sacrificing any ofl the le itimate and valid scope of the apv pende claims. i

Having thus described my invention, I claim:

1. An incinerator wherein a4 retort is `mounte`d in a supporting structure in juxtaposition to an ignitionburner, and having.

an access opening for the deposit of material therei-n, characterized by a movable hollow' closure for the access opening of said retort, said closure having a passage therethrough for the products Iof combustion, communicating with the interior of the retort through a vent opening adjacent to one edge of the bottom thereof leading from the retort to the -interior of said closure, and communicating through anexit openin in the marginal edge farthest removed om said vent with a Hue opening leading from said structure.

2. An incinerator wherein a retort is mounted in a supporting structure in juxtaposition to an ignition burner with a flue leading from the structure, characterized by an inclined baffle plate/closing the top of the retort immediately below the exit to said flue, and directed upwardly away from the flue having a vent opening for theproducts of combustion adjacent tothe to of the incline and in proximity to the si eV of the retort, opposite the flue opening through which the products of combustion may pass through the space above balle plate and means for directin the products of combustion over said aiie plate to the flue opening above the lower edge of said baille.

3. An incinerator wherein a retort is mounted in a supporting structure in juxtaposition to an ignition burner, characterized by a ilue leading from one side of the retort, a closure for the" retort comprising a pair of spaced walls interconnected at one end, one of which is imperforate and located above the level of the flue opening,lthe other being located below the flue opening and inclined upwardly and away therefrom pro` ized by a closure comprising a pair of spaced walls interconnected at one end and separated at their opposite ends one of said walls being provided with an aperture adjacent tothe connected end affording intercommunication between the interior of the retort and the space intermediate said walls, the lower wall being adapted to direct imp inging products of combustion toward and through said aperture, said products being directed by the other wall in a reverse direction toward the separated ends, said. supporting structure being provided with a flue opening communicating with the intermediatespace between said walls at their separated ends, through whichA the products of combustion are discharged.

5. An incinerator wherein a retort is mounted in a supporting structure in juxtaposition to an ignition burner, characterized by a closure for the retort comprising two spaced plates having a vent opening for the products of combustion, from the retort to the space between said plates and having an exit opening from the space between the plates to atmosphere, and a frame within which the spaced plates are insertable, Iadapted to close the spaces between theopaosite sides of the plates.

6. In an incinerator, a skeleton frame, a support from which said frame is suspended, a plurality of sections of refractory material mounted in the frame and forming the side walls of a retort, and a burner for gniting the contents of the retort.

burner, characterized by oppositely disposed fluted dii-'ergent walls for the retort to maintain the contents thereof in spaced relation with the walls thereof, the opposite walls of the retort being upwardly divergenty throughout substantially their entire extent.

9. An incinerator of the type wherein a retort is mounted in a suitable supporting structure in juxtaposition to an ignition burner, characterized by a series of fluted slabs of refractory material forming the walls of said retort, said slabs being arranged with their luted faces inwardly, and a suspended skeleton frame in which the slabs are mounted. f

10. An incinerator of the type wherein a retort is mounted in a suitable supporting structure in juxtaposition to an ignition burner, characterized by a plurality of slabs of refractory material arranged 1n hollow box like formation the interior faces of the slabs being corrugated and means for supporting said slabs in spaced relation with the main supporting structure.

` 1l. In an incinerator a supporting structure, a combustion chamber carried thereby having straight downwardly converging corrugated walls tapering uniformly from `the top to the-bottom, whereby the shrinkagelof the contents of the chamber is compensated for by the contraction of the chamber to maintain a substantially uniform den- .bottom of said frame.

13. In a device of the class described, the

combination of a casing, a metallic frame suspended therein and open at the bottom, a lining for the side walls of said frame consisting of refractory material, a movable closure for said frame, a perforated grid partially closing the opening in the bottom of said frame, and a source of heat within said casing, below said grid, and adjacent to said openmg.

14. In a device of theclass described, the combination of a casing, a metallic frame suspended therein and open at the bottom, a lining for the side walls of said frame consisting of refractory material, a movable closure for said frame, and a grid spanning the opening in the. bottom of said frame and consisting of parallel bars, connected by inverted U-shaped sections, together'operative to direct the contents of the lined frame towards -the opposite sides thereof.

iis

15. In a device of the class described, the combination of a casing, a metallic 'frame suspended therein and open at the bottom, a.

lining for the `.side Walls of said frame consisting of refractory material, a. movable closure for said frame, a rid spanning the opening in the bottom o said frame and source of heat within said casing,below said grid, andadjacent to the bottom opening in said frame.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto 15 set my hand this 1st day of December A. D. 1 19.

GEORGE L. CAMPBELL. Witnesses H." S. MGCARTNEY, CEAS. E. JENKINS. 

